| Summary: | Burnout is a common problem among mental health professionals, particularly mental health nurses. High levels of burnout result in job dissatisfaction, rapid turnover of staff, physical and psychological discomfort, and reduction in the quality of patient care. While there is an abundance of research relating to burnout per se, there is a lack of research regarding burnout among mental health nurses in Saudi Arabia, and more specifically of the impact a burnout prevention programme might have on those experiencing high levels of work related stress. In starting to address this gap, the aim of this study was to identify the level of burnout, predictors of burnout, and measure the effects of a burnout prevention programme on mental health nurses working in Saudi Arabia. A quasi-experimental design was used to test the effectiveness of a two-day burnout prevention workshop offered to mental health nurses working in Saudi Arabia. The sample was drawn from the Al-Amal Complex for Mental Health at two sites; Riyadh and Ara'r, the former providing the intervention group, the latter the control group. The workshop consisted of providing information about burnout, as well as strategies to decrease stress. A demographic questionnaire, as well as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), was used to collect data immediately before conducting the workshop and at one, three and six month intervals after participants had completed the workshop. Data were analysed using the latest version of SPSS. Means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages were used to describe the sample and levels of burnout experienced by the nurses. A t-test, ANOVA, Multiple linear regression and chi squared were used to measure the effect of the workshop before and at three intervals after the nurses were exposed to the burnout prevention programme. Findings indicate the burnout prevention programme was effective with a significant reduction being reported one month after the intervention. However, although not returning to baseline scores, an increase in the burnout score was again observed after 6 months, indicating a need to continue with the programme at reasonable intervals. However, the overall efficacy of the burnout reduction programme is evident within this study as there was a significant reduction in burnout among mental health nurses working in Saudi Arabia. Importance and Relevance: This research was carried out to address burnout levels by introducing a burnout prevention programme and measuring the effects of such on mental health nurses working in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, predictive factors of burnout for this target geoup were also identified. This is the first of study within Saudi Arabia.
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